Teniola Apata, better known by her stage as Teni, a well-known singer in Nigeria, has shared a childhood memory with her sisters Doyin and Niniola.
Teni claimed that she once believed Niniola was envious of her abilities because of the way she berated her singing voice.
This information was revealed by the singer in a Tea With Tay podcast episode.
Teni recounted that when she was younger and practicing with her sisters, their oldest sister, Doyin, would compliment them on their melodic voices, while Niniola claimed that their voices were not “sweet.”
She claimed that the latter’s critical remarks made her believe that she was envious of her.
Teni added, “My older sister, Doyin, who is older than Nini [Niniola], might have been lying because she didn’t want to hurt me; she used to compliment my lovely singing voice when I was younger. On the other side, Nini would tell me that my voice isn’t particularly sweet. I so assumed she was envious of me.
“She [Niniola] grabbed my attention and warned me not to fall for Doyin’s lies. You sing from your stomach, she continued. So I would listen to Nini sing every time. I so began singing as well from the bottom up.
“Once, when my school hosted an event, I sang, and the entire school got up and applauded me. ‘I’ve arrived,’ I declared. I returned home to inform Nini that I had performed a song at school to a standing ovation, and she advised me to continue singing that way. I did, and Nini applauded me as well. Okay, we are up to something, I remarked.